"Infinity Man - The episode after Genesis" by Samuel V. R. Joseph

The thing about cities is that they can only hold so many people. Sort of like a 500ml beaker, which, of course, can only hold (wonder of wonders) about 500ml of water. Bifrost City could be considered a 30ml city, similar to a 30ml beaker, except that "ml" stood for "million lives" instead of "millilitres".

Now a 30ml city can hold about 30 million people, but that's just on the ground. What we're concerned with is airspace, and that's a slightly different matter. You see, the average flying superhero requires at least 16 cubic kilometres of airspace in order to function efficiently, without overcrowding. Due to the sudden spate of superheroes in Bifrost City, however, there were too many flying heroes for the available airspace. And so it was that, one fine, sunny afternoon, our beloved hero Infinity Man found himself flying beside another superhero: Sleeper.

"So what's your superpower?" she asked him. (You must understand that, among superheroes, this was considered a greeting, and was used in much the same way that you or I might say, "Hi, how are you?")

"Erm... I'm good at finding... things," Infinity Man said, a little sheepishly.

"Oh! That must come in very useful!"

"Well, not really."

"No? How do you figure?"

"Well, I'm only good at finding one particular thing. The Infinity Rod."

The Infinity Rod! Wow."

Infinity Man looked at her sharply. "You know what the Infinity Rod is?"

"Me? Oh, no, no. It just sounds very... well, 'wowish' is the technical term, I believe."

"I see. So, what's your superpower?" Infinity Man asked, returning the greeting.

"Oh, I shoot pillows out of my hands."

"Must be useful if you're getting tired, I suppose"

Sleeper giggled. "No, silly, it's an offensive thing. You'd be surprised how much damage a well-aimed pillow can do! In fact, I think I'm needed right now!" She zoomed down to the street, and zoomed back up a minute later. "There! Another good deed!"

"What happened?"

"Oh, some poor guy was being chased by a dog. So I gave the dog a pillow to distract it. Pillows are very useful things, you know."

*

Far away on the other side of the city, even as this fascinating dialogue was going on...

"Ah... so this is the Infinity Rod..." A robed figure loomed out of the darkness, chuckling menacingly.

"There was a slight cough. "Er... no, sir, that's the door handle."

"Oh. Dang, it's dark in here! Where is it, then?"

"Over here, sir. This is the Infinity Rod." A pale, skinny hand poked out of the darkness, pointing at a nondescript ball sitting on a table.

"This? But this is a sphere, not a rod!"

"True, sir, but think about it. If a rod is infinitely long and infinitely wide, what will it look like?"

"A big sheet?"

"Well... not quite. See, sir, if it's infinitely long and wide, it will cover the whole universe. And since the universe is shaped like a sphere..."

"Oh, I see... so the Infinity Rod is spherical. And I suppose this is just a representation?"

"That's correct, sir. In effect, this sphere is the Infinity Rod. Manipulating the sphere will allow me... allow us to control the ebb and flow of cosmic energy, that delicate ocean upon which all we weary travellers sail, in our little ships of whimsical fancy, scurrying towards our hopes and dreams and --"

"All right, Henchkid, that's enough. We have work to do!"

"Yes, sir!"

*

Soon after, in a large meeting room at the top of the Bifrost Police Building...

"Sorry I'm late," Clockwork said as she rushed into the meeting room. The Director looked up in surprise.

"But we haven't begun yet! We're still waiting for Sleeper and Infinity Man."

"Oh. Sorry. It's all this time-controlling business. It gets a little confusing after a while." She took a seat at the table. Just then, the remaining two heroes arrived. The Director stood.

"Right. Now that we're all here, let me begin by--"

"Thanks!" Clockwork said suddenly, then looked around sheepishly. 'Sorry. Spoke too soon."

"By welcoming you to the second meeting of the Bifrost League of Heroes," the Director continued. He looked pointedly at Clockwork, who blushed and said nothing. "Anyway, it seems that there is a new villain in the City. This message was recently broadcast over the airwaves." He pressed a button, and a screen slid down from the ceiling at one end of the meeting room. A hooded figure appeared, half-hidden in shadow. He spoke in a deep, menacing voice.

"Attention, denizens of Bifrost City! I am Bob the Villain! And I demand that you give me all the money contained in all the banks in Bifrost City, otherwise I will use my newly acquired Infinity Rod to reduce the city to a smoking ruin! I will turn the skies to grey forever! I will split open the ground! I will --" He broke off, looking to his right. "What? Speak up, Henchkid!"

Another voice could be heard faintly in the background. "We're paying for the airtime, sir..."

"Oh. Right well you know my demands and they'd better be satisfied or else do you hear me ok thank you bye." And the screen dissolved into static.

The Director looked round at the assembled heroes. Clockwork, a striking figure in her dress and boots, with her mechanical left arm resting on the table. Sleeper, a rather young-looking woman with long blonde hair, clad in a pink and blue outfit. Infinity Man, looking more than a little strange in his figure-8 catsuit. Bubbles, her short dark hair framing a face that was currently hidden behind a large bubble. And finally, Groove Injector, a strange but cheerful being, looking like a cross between a lizard and a three-eyed monkey, clutching a bass guitar in one hand and what appeared to be a guinea pig in the other. The rest of the heroes were unavailable.

"Infinity Man," he said at last. "I think you are our best hope in this situation. It appears that Bob the Villain is intending to use the Infinity Rod to destroy the city, unless we give him all the money in Bifrost! Now, what can you tell us about this Infinity Rod?"

"I only know where it is. I don't know anything else about it."

The Director scratched his head. "Ok, so how does that work? Can you tell me where it is now?"

Infinity Man thought for a moment. "Well, it's like I get 'updates' every few minutes on where the Infinity Rod is. Not where it is, really, more like just which direction it is from where I am. It's sort of like a big flashing arrow appears in front of me every few minutes."

"So where does the arrow point to now?" Clockwork asked, looking inordinately pleased with herself.

Infinity Man looked around. "There," he said, pointing tot he north-west.

"But you can't tell us what it does or even what it looks like?" Groove Injector asked. (At this point it must be stated that Groove Injector "spoke" by playing her bass, which was somehow able to translate the sound into words. Don't ask.)

"No, sorry."

The Director sighed, and pinched his forehead. "Ok. Clockwork? Any chance you could tell us what to expect?"

Clockwork shook her head. "I've been trying. Somehow I'm being blocked. Anything to do with the Infinity Rod seems cloudy, both in the future and the past. I expect it's the whole 'infinity' thing that's throwing me off... even with my control over time I still have some human limitations, and the whole concept of 'infinity' is hard to wrap my head around."

"All right. Then we'll just have to play it by ear. Infinity Man will lead all of you to the Infinity Rod. Once there, you'll have to come up with a plan to thwart this Bob the Villain." The Director looked round at them. "Right. Good luck, then. Oh, and Groove... play us the theme song, will you?"

Groove Injector smiled, and played a funky little tune on her bass. The superheroes, energized by the groovy beat, set off on their mission. The fate of Bifrost City was in their hands!

*

Soon after, at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city...

"So this is it, then?" Bubbles asked, looking at the run-down building in front of them.

Infinity Man nodded. "This is it. The Infinity Rod is in there."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Bubbles strode forward. Sleeper grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Wait! We need some kind of plan. We can't just go waltzing in there!"

"Yeah? Why not? Besides, we don't have time to sit around planning! You guys can stay here if you want, but I'm going in!"

The interior of the warehouse was dark and airy. The windows were shuttered all the way up to the high ceiling, and shadows lay everywhere. From deeper inside came the sound of dripping water. Tuffy, Groove Injector's guinea pig, shuddered and stayed close to its mistress. The dripping sound grew louder as they ventured further, until Clockwork suddenly stopped and looked up. "Look," she hissed, pointing. The others followed her outstretched finger, and let out a collective gasp. Hanging above them was Bob the Villain, creaking quietly to himself as he swung to and fro, suspended by a rope about ten feet off the ground.

Suddenly there came a loud cackle, and a figure appeared before them. "Welcome, heroes!" Henchkid said, stepping out of the shadows. "Have you come to try and stop me?" He cackled again. "Go ahead! I have, as you can see, disposed of that bumbling fool of a villain. He wasn't cut out for this kind of power, anyway. It was I who led him to the Infinity Rod, and it belongs to me!" He hefted the rod, and pointed it at Clockwork. An arc of blue energy shot out and enveloped her, and Clockwork screamed.

"Clockwork!" Sleeper cried, rushing to her side. Henchkid cackled yet again, and shifted his aim to Infinity Man. But nothing happened. Henchkid frowned, growled, and tried again, but still there was no effect. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Groove Injector cried, "Cover your ears!" and played a single note. Her team-mates complied just in time: as the note rang out, Henchkid suddenly clutched at his pants, and stumbled back into the depths of the warehouse.

The rest of them gathered round Clockwork, who lay unmoving on the ground. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. "The future," she whispered. "I can see it... further than I've ever seen before. So dark and bleak. It must be stopped! But how... unless..." her eyes came into focus with sudden clarity. "The world must be destroyed!" And she vanished in a sudden puff of smoke.

"What was that about?" Bubbles asked, shaken.

"I don't know. But we'll have to worry about it later! Henchkid has the rod, and his bowel movements aren't going to take long!" Infinity Man turned to Groove Injector. "Nice job on that, by the way. I see you've finally figured out how to make the dreaded 'Brown Note'."

"Yes," Groove Injector played. "It sure came in handy, didn't it!" Tuffy chuckled. "It won't work a second time, though."

"I really think we need a plan now," Sleeper said. Infinity Man nodded.

"Agreed. Here's what we'll do. Since the Infinity Rod doesn't seem to be able to affect me, I'll go first, and then..."

*

Infinity Man broke off the slats from one of the windows, allowing the sunlight to stream in. "Here I am, Henchkid! You want to prove how good a villain you are? Come and get me, then!"

Henchkid stepped out in front of him. "Don't think you've won just because the Rod doesn't affect you, Infinity Man! I have been well-trained in many forms of martial arts!"

"Well, don't just stand there, show me!"

With a yell, Henchkid charged -- but he was brought short as a pillow flew out of nowhere and struck him in the chest. More followed immediately after, a veritable deluge. Henchkid was knocked off his feet, but he merely waved the Rod, and the pillows vanished. No sooner had they disappeared, however, then a bubble formed around his head. A shrill, discordant noise filled the air, the vibrations transmitted through the bubble affecting Henchkid's ability to think. As he struggled, he began to choke as he used up the oxygen contained in the bubble. Slowly he sank to the ground, and finally collapsed, unconscious.

Infinity Man, now holding the Infinity Rod, led a subdued Henchkid out the warehouse. A throng of reporters had gathered outside, but they were being held back by the police. The Director approached the team. "Well done! All of you! You've saved Bifrost City from certain doom, and recovered the Infinity Rod intact." He patted Infinity Man on the shoulder. "I belive the Rod is in good hands now. And for the rest of you, let me treat you to dinner! But wait -- where's Clockwork?"

The heroes looked at each other uncomfortably. "We'll tell you about it later, Director," Bubbles said. "Now, about that dinner..."

The heroes handed Henchkid over to the policemen, and went with the Director to claim their dinner prize. Up above, grey clouds gathered. A distant peal of thunder reverberated across the sky...